In a miraculous turn of events, a three-year-old girl has been rescued nearly 60 hours after a devastating landslide struck a gold-mining village in the southern Philippines. Rescue teams had lost hope of finding any survivors, making this discovery all the more astonishing.

The girl, who was among numerous individuals reported missing following the rain-induced landslide, was found by determined rescuers in Masara village on southern Mindanao island. Edward Macapili, an official from the disaster agency in Davao de Oro province, described the breakthrough as a "miracle" since searchers had already presumed the missing were no longer alive.

Video footage shared on social media showed a rescuer carrying the crying child, covered in mud, in his arms. According to Philippine Red Cross officials, the little girl did not appear to have any visible injuries. She was wrapped in an emergency blanket and connected to an oxygen tank as she was transported to a hospital in Mawab municipality.

Tragically, the death toll from the landslide has risen to 27, with officials confirming the devastating news on Friday. The landslide, which occurred on Tuesday night, destroyed homes and engulfed three buses and a jeepney that were waiting to pick up workers from a nearby goldmine.

Landslides are a constant threat across the Philippines due to its mountainous terrain, heavy rainfall, and widespread deforestation caused by various activities including mining, slash-and-burn farming, and illegal logging. The heightened intensity of rain in parts of Mindanao in recent weeks has triggered multiple landslides and flooding, forcing tens of thousands of people into emergency shelters.

Unfortunately, the search and rescue efforts were momentarily halted due to earthquakes that shook the Mindanao region on Saturday. Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of injuries or further damage caused by the magnitude 5.8 quake, followed by a second magnitude 5.4 tremor.

The region has been destabilized by massive earthquakes in recent months, prompting hundreds of families from Masara and neighboring villages to evacuate and seek refuge in emergency centers for fear of additional landslides. In fact, the area affected by the recent landslide had previously been declared a "no-build zone" after similar incidents in 2007 and 2008, as revealed by Macapili.